Joseph Colton

Just bought a 2007 Rubicon Unlimited with a complete 2.5 Rubicon express lift, new tie rods, trac bar, drag link and ball joints done in March 2016, new sway bar and shock with complete aligment done recently. All work done professionally and backed ip by paperwork. The jeep has 35/12.5/18 Toyo Open Country tires that were installed at the same time on Fuel wheels. Tires are at about 75% with decent wear, but more in center, which was explained by me checking the air pressure and it was at 40psi. I bought on ebay and flew out to drive back to Phoenix from Dallas. On the 1,000 mile ride it handled squirrelly at speeds above 60 with a lot of wander. On good codition roads it was a little better. Looking for ideas or recommendations to fix.
Thanks

nthinuf

Stuck right to the top of this Modified area are two threads with a lot of useful information ...

Post your alignment specs.

First thought, which I bet gets echoed by about a dozen people, is that the Caster is low. Stock is around 4.2*. After a 2.5" lift it is probably mid-upper 3's. The lower the caster number, the flightier the steering.

That has no real relevance. Shops can make mistakes just like anyone else. You did not state that you have any form of caster correction, correct? So the alignment shop was unable to adjust it, which brought up my guess about low caster being the cause of the handling issue and not install/workmanship.

Tech Tim

Yep, echo what @nthinuf said.... good chance caster is low.

Get a laser alignment from a good place, make sure to ask for a print out. Ask them if they are familiar with aligning lifted rigs, if they say no, go elsewhere.

Mark Doiron

Even as I read your post initially, going on just your thread title, I was looking for anything that suggested that caster had been addressed after the lift. Nada. It could have said geometry correction brackets, adjustable front lower control arms (or even uppers), or camber bolts (horrible idea since they come loose when off-roading, but many "professional" shops don't consider that). The bottom line is that even if you don't wish to do the work yourself, you need to have as good an understanding of how all of the bits and pieces work together in order to insure that you get the best possible outcome for your lifted Jeep. Next, maybe you have the shop fix your caster, then six months later you are back here asking why your driveshaft failed. It's all engineered to work together. Lifting a rig is not something that can be done without impacting that engineering. I understand that you just bought this and are stuck with what the previous owner did, but the suggested reading will really help. Start here:

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...-lifts-288269/

resharp001

Mark hit the nail right on the head here, and when you're starting with a pre-owned/pre-modified rig you're a bit behind the curve just trying to figure out what exactly was or was not installed previously.

As everyone else notes, it's likely you have no caster correction. I also wouldn't be shocked if the 2.5" lift is netting even a bit more actual lift than 2.5" (the higher the lift, the more caster is dropping). Here are stock measurements up front if you want to compare what you are actually at -

Joseph Colton

[QUOTE=resharp001;4341323]Mark hit the nail right on the head here, and when you're starting with a pre-owned/pre-modified rig you're a bit behind the curve just trying to figure out what exactly was or was not installed previously.

As everyone else notes, it's likely you have no caster correction. I also wouldn't be shocked if the 2.5" lift is netting even a bit more actual lift than 2.5" (the higher the lift, the more caster is dropping). Here are stock measurements up front if you want to compare what you are actually at.


Thanks to all for the great advice!]

EHarris

Thinking outside the box a little here and since it's an 07 with 35's a new intermediate steering shaft could help things. Certainly made a difference for my 08 at 100k

MOPAR 55351281AE Steering Shaft

The above is correct also and should be checked out especially caster.

SoK66

You have way too much air in the tires. Do a chalk test, repeat until the result is even across the tread. My bet is correct pressure will be in the 24 - 28 psi range. FWIW, 22 psi is the correct street pressure for my 37" M/T ATZP3s

dubs 2013 wrangler

New to the forum I have no idea how to start a new thread. But I figured I piggy back off of this one because I’m having steering issues as well. Jeep was driving great took it into the shop because the tie rod ends were lose. They said it need replacing so I ordered the fusion 4x4 tie rod and drag link. And did synergy ball joints. The Jeep now is almost scary to drive very darty in between the lines when you try and keep it straight. Any ideas what they could have done?

resharp001

Those Synergy BJs will take a little time to break in. I suspect your steering is just a bit tight. Give it 500-1000 miles and it should feel better. Very common with those BJs. I'm on the other side of the metroplex, out in the Aledo area, if you ever need some semi-local help. Welcome to the forum

btw, what shop did you go to?